Timeline of World History
Guerra Mondiale This timeline shows all major events that occurred throughout the world since 1914, all the way up to the start of 1936. 1914 *Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is assassinated while visiting Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914. In response, Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Serbia. After Serbia rejects the demands, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. *Russia, being allied with Serbia, declares war on both Austria-Hungary and her ally, Germany. Wanting to knock France out of the war early, Germany declares war on France on August 3rd. *Germany plans to force France to sue for peace following a swift invasion, allowing Germany to attack Russia and declare victory. To achieve this plan, Germany decides to go around French defenses by invading neutral Belgium. This provokes international outcry, which leads to the UK joining the war on the side of the allies. *German advances into France are halted at the Marne, as the western front of the war enters a brutal stage of trench warfare. *Russian advances in Germany are halted in the battle of Tannenberg, which sees the near complete destruction of the Russian Second Army at the hands of the German military *The Ottoman Empire joins the war on the side of the Central Powers, following a dispute with the United Kingdom *Ellen Wilson, the wife of US President Woodrow Wilson, sees medical help for her deteriorating health. A medical examination finds that she has Bright's Disease, and she begins immediate medical treatment. Note that this is where the Whispers of Antiquity timeline diverges from our timeline. *Not suffering from depression as in OTL (our timeline), Woodrow Wilson is free to pursue complete neutrality in WWI, beginning by declaring that the United States has the complete right, as a neutral nation, to trade with both the Allies and Central Powers, and he begins opening trade with Germany. 1915 *The carnage on the static Western front exacerbates as chemical weapons are used for the first time in the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22nd. *In the Eastern Front, Germans push off Russian advances completely, but Russians still manage to hold on to Galician lands in Austria-Hungary. *Medical treatment successfully prolonged Ellen Wilson's life, but proves to be insuffecient in preventing her death. Ellen Wilson passes away as Woodrow Wilson sprials into grief and depression. His deteriorating health leads to a stroke, which confines Wilson to his bed. *The SS Amerika departs from Boston harbor and is sunk by the British blockade while en route to Germany, killing 1,533 of its passengers, many of whom were Americans. This shocks the world, and leads to a media-backed anti-Ally hysteria, as American public image of the Allies worsens. American media portrays the Allies as bloodthirsty brutes, broadcasting sympathetic messages about the suffering and starving Germans. *Bulgaria joins the war on the side of the Central Powers on October 15th, and helps capitulate Serbia. *Italy joins the war as an Ally, laying claim to some of Austria-Hungary's territory. However, the Italian front is reduced to brutal trench and mountain warfare. *The Allies suffer a drastic loss at Gallipoli and another loss at Kut, as both campaigns lose to Ottoman armed forces. *As Wilson's health deterorates further, and the SS Amerika crisis remains unsolved, Wilson's Vice President, Thomas R Marshall, assumes the power of the Presidency in a move that remains deeply unpopular. Many resignate from his Government, and all attempts to halt the ongoing diplomatic crisis made by the British fail. *Facing immense public and congressional pressure, an inability to hold his own Government together, and strangling public disapproval, Thomas Marshall addresses Congress and agrees to declare war on the Allies. On November 1, 1915, the United States declares war on France, Russia, Great Britain, and Italy. 1916 *The Germans attempt to drain the French Army's reserves and supplies in the Battle of Verdun, which quickly devolves to pure carnage as the battle sees some of the worst fighting in the war. A similar operation is undertaken by the British at the Somme, which shares the same fate. *American mobilization goes in full swing, as the navy receives a hefty sum of funding to greatly expand its size and power. Many new recruits flood the US army. *The Brusilov offensive achieves short-term victories, but ultimately fails as German reserves are called to the eastern front. *Naval battles in the Atlantic and Caribbean show British tactical victories, but American strategic victories, as Britain is forced to divert naval power from the blockade of Germany to fight the US, resulting in a loosening of the British blockade on Germany. *William Randolph Hearst, running on a distinctly progressive, anglophobic, and pro-war platform, wins the 1916 US election in a landslide, and completely changes the face of US politics and ushers in a second progressive era. *Liberia joins the war against the allies. Using aid from Germany and the United States, they begin a brutal sub-saharan campaign against British and French colonial forces, including arming French/British Africans to fight with guerrilla tactics against their colonial overlords. *As the year draws to a close, the first American boots land in Canada as the United States begins its first land assault of the war. 1917 * American troops capture multiple major Canadian cities, and critical infrastructure is destroyed, significantly disrupting allied defense. Ports are seized by the US, and instances of using chemical gasses in battle by the Americans are reported. Canada falls, and resistance is crushed throughout the duration of the year. * Benefiting from increased American Navy Production, the American and German navies rival the Royal Navy in size. Naval battles begin greatly favoring the Central Powers as the Royal Navy begins losing its strong grip on the sea. * In conjunction with the invasions of Canada, the American navy begins an intensive blockade of Allied possessions in the Caribbean and Atlantic, and successfully establishes naval dominance in those areas. * Russia's armed forces collapse to the hammering of advancing invading troops. The Tsar abdicates as the new Provisional Government pursues negotiated peace with the Central Powers. This culminates in the harsh Treaty of Pinsk, which includes very harsh provisions for Russia, but nonetheless take them out of the war. * In the later half of the year, Operation Albany takes off. Operation Albany sees American and German ships fighting to break the remaining British blockade. After a costly naval battle, the blockade is effectively killed, and American troops and supplies begin arriving in Europe. * The Austro-Hungarian Empire, facing wartime economic troubles, starvation, war weariness, and growing ethnic troubles, begins crumbling. Bela Kun, a Hungarian communist agitator, profits off growing anti-Hapsburg sentiment and attracts a growing wave of support for a socialist cause in Austro-Hungary. Eventually, unrest reaches breaking levels and the empire crumbles into ethnic and social conflict. As the empire collapses, Bella Kun and his socialist followers stage a massive revolution, preaching the ideals of council communism and socialism for the exhausted workers that suffered under the war. German intervention attempts to quell the socialist uprising, but proves to be ineffective against guerrilla and urban warfare from the socialists. 1918 * Argentina joins the Central Powers on the 17th of February, following the October coup by Lieutenant Colonel José Felix Uriburu. Following the quick occupation of the Falkland, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands; the Argentine Navy goes on to support the Germano-American fleet in the North Atlantic theater. * An allied counteroffensive across the western front starts at Amiens and attempts to push into German-occupied France in an attempt to fight off the Central Powers before American reinforcements arrive, which proves to be futile. * Following the failed Allied counteroffensives, the Central Powers and newly-arrived Americans begin new offensives into Allied nations. * The Americans and Germans kick-start the Reims offensive and plow into exhausted allied troops in France, eventually placing Paris under siege. The French army faces many mutinies and workers begin fueling unrest in the war-torn and exhausted nation. Later this year, the siege cripples the defenses in Paris, and the city is captured * Facing an increasingly harsh American blockade, popular unrest, and years of trench warfare, the Italian front finally crumbles, as American and Austrian troops begin marching towards Venice and cross into South Tyrol. * Facing the widespread collapse of her allies, a costly American blockade on Portuguese ports, and mass starvation, a coup by Sidónio Pais establishes a new Portuguese Republic. The new Government surrenders to the Central Powers and takes Portugal out of the war. * The exhausted and overextended Germans, fearing to be drawn into yet another conflict, begin pulling out of the Danubian conflict. In response, Kun's socialists make huge advances and become the dominant force in former Austria-Hungary. Within the year, they seize all of Austria, secure former Hungary, and push out the invading Czechs from Slovakia. With exception to Czechia and the southern slavic nations, all of former Austria-Hungary falls to the socialists. A new Danubian Socialist Republic is proclaimed. * American and German ships, along with ships seized from the defeated allied powers, begin to engage the Royal Navy and prepare for a complete blockade of Great Britain. * An Armistice takes effect between all remaining Allied Powers and Central Power members on the Christmas of 1918. 1919 * The Treaty of Ludwigsburg is signed on February 4th 1919, ending the Guerra Mondiale after 5 years of brutal fighting. * The "League of Nations" is created to prevent such a gruesome war in the future. President Hearst of the United States successfully advocates for making the League stronger and able to enforce its rulings, along with an increased ability to carve out former allied land into "mandates" * Japan pursues a separate peace with the Central powers in 1919, following numerous clashes with the United States navy. * Following public backlash to the intervention in France, Kaiser Wilhelm II holds an influential speech that drums up support for a civilian government and forces the OHL to step down from its dictatorship role. Elections take place as the Kaiser and Civilian Government is reinstalled in Germany. While many hoped this civilian Government would be more inwards-focused, their hopes were shattered as the new Government announced that it would work to "keep the peace" and directly intervene in the affairs of other nations. * In France, abysmal living conditions, national starvation, and terrible working conditions led the CGT to call for a national strike. the merciless and violent German response to the strike served to embolden the rioting workers. Soon, France was subjected to a revolutionary fervor as many proclaimed a new Commune of France. After 10 months of brutal fighting, German intervention in the revolution finally crushed the socialists and killed the dream of the Commune of France. The Germans install Phillipe Petain to lead the new French Government. * Political polarization in Germany reaches worrying levels. Socialist movements in Germany rise to worrying levels of power and attract large waves of support, such as Rosa Luxemburg's Spartacist Kommunistiche Partei Deutchsland (SKPD). 1920 * A post-war recession hits the United States. The newly progressive leadership of the Republican Party moves for progressive policies to combat the recession. This cements the split of the Republican Party, thus producing two new parties out of the former Republican party- the Progressive Republicans and the Grand Old Party. * The Brazilian Armed Forces coups the Republican Government and establishes a new Government to purge the oligarchy's influence in Government. * Long-standing territorial disputes erupt in a conflict between Bolivia and Paraguay, which ultimately results in Paraguay successfully gaining most of the land they held claim to from Bolivia. This war becomes known as "The Chaco War." * Small-scale Socialist uprisings in Poland leads to the abandonment of the Regency Council and the creation of a Republic. Zdzisław Lubomirski is elected the first President. * The German Government, unhappy with the Ottoman Three pashas for the Genocide of Armenians, orders Mehmed VI to dismiss the three. He does so, resulting in their execution. Mehmed appoints Ahmed Izzet Pasha as the new Grand Vizier, however, shortly after becoming Izzet resigns due to being unable to restore stability and resolve the Arab crisis. He steps down in favor of Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, who quickly gets to work on bringing stability to the nation. Ahmet Tevfik pasha is unable to bring order to the nation, resulting in Tripolitania and the newly establish Khedive of Egypt breaking ties to the empire. Fuad I is made Sultan of Egypt, ending the Khedive. Osman Fuad, after returning from custody of the Italian military, works with young officers in the CUP, such as Mustafa Kemal. In the late Winter of 1920, the young officers march onto the Sublime Porte, sidelining parliament and establishing Osman Fuad as sultan, going by the title Osman IV. * In Italy, Marco Fassa, a disillusioned Italian veteran who held hatred for both the monarchy and the ever-growing socialists, formed his own political party called “''Roma Invicta''”. After gaining a considerable amount of support, he started organizing counter-raids against communist rioters, and met a growing amount of public support for his movement. 1921 * After months of war between the Arab groups and Arab groups securing land in Syria and Iraq, Osman IV launches a reclamation war in the summer of 1921, with the intent of securing the Levant, Iraq and the holy cities from the Arabs. The war is hugely successful, with the Ottomans securing Kirkuk and Aleppo, starting the siege of Damascus and Baghdad by Christmas. * Due to the lingering effects of national wartime starvation, the harsh provisions in the treaty of Ludwigsburg, and the suffering from the post-war recession, Scotland erupts into unionist fervor. The ‘Battle of George Square’ in Clydeside escalates from an unofficial strike to mass rioting, lead by David Kirkwood, Willie Gallacher and John MacLean. By the middle of the year the riots have spread and turned into a whirlwind of strike action and violence. Taking inspiration from the Danubian socialist uprising and the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, John Maclean announces the formation of a Workers’ Republic of Scotland. Winston Churchill is tasked with the crushing of the revolt and the former BEF is sent north. Guerrilla tactics and terrain fighting prove successful as the revolt proves to be difficult to crush. 1922 * As the US recession ends, blame falls on Government institutions such as the Federal Reserve. A compromise that severely weakens the Federal Reserve and limits its capabilities saves it from complete dissolution. Wage and economic growth follows the end of the recession, and the "Booming Twenties" era begins in the US. * T.E Lawrence, now acting as a general in the Hejaz army, makes a plea to the newly established League of nations, stating that the Fall of Damascus and Baghdad will mean the destruction of order in Arabia and more chaos in the region. The League of Nations talks with the new Sultan, demanding a ceasefire, Osman IV reluctantly agrees, ending the reclamation war, in a few months a truce between the newly founded Arab alliance and Saudis is established, officially ending all major conflicts in Arabia. 1923 * The United States resumes its policy of Economic Imperialism, buying out and out-competing the industries in many developing and small nations for its own benefit. * War reparations and Colonial profits, included with the effective economic union made between Mittelafrika and many other German colonies, allows Germany's economy to fully recover from the Guerra Mondiale. * In the UK, Earl Kitchener and Douglas Haig launch a military coup to attempt to end the disorder of parliamentary government and crush the Scottish rebellion. They are supported by some Members of Parliament such as Austen Chamberlain, as well as the King. Winston Churchill is arrested and imprisoned for his failures, while Lloyd George (the incumbent Prime Minister) flees the country. Ramsay MacDonald and other socialist leaders calling for peace in Scotland are imprisoned. * The British coup proves to be the final straw that shatters the remnants of the British Empire. Many territories, such as Australia and New Zealand, declare independence and kill the remnants of the British Empire. 1924 * Leonard Wood, an American war hero and the architect of the Canadian Republic gets elected President in a divisive election that sees the first instance of racial lobbying groups becoming a major playing force in US politics. 1925 * Social unrest in Poland, especially in the socialist south, leads to a military coup overthrowing the republic. However, the Government-in-Exile brokers a deal with Germany, where Germany helps restore the Republic in Poland, but the Government is required to pay back the German Government with fixed yearly payments. 1926 * In the United States, many powerful and influential unions federalize into a single body known as the "American Congress of Labor" (ACL), which greatly increases the power of unions in Government and successfully becomes the leading voice for union rights. * Germany forges an alliance called the "Eintracht von Europa", which ensures military cooperation among all nations throughout the German sphere, and allows Germany to project more power across the world. * Tensions in South America crystallize in the Great South American War. Both wanting to be the hegemons of their continent,Brazil and Argentina edge further and further to war. These tensions reach a breaking point with border clashes in Uruguay and the subsequent invasion of Uruguay by Brazil, followed by an Argentine retaliation. Peru and Bolivia eventually join the side of the Argentines, while Chile joins Brazil. * José María Orellana, dictator of Guatemala, is assassinated. He is succeeded by Jorge Ubico as the dictator of Guatemala. The National Government grows more unpopular as democratic elements start rapidly growing in strength all throughout the next decade. 1927 * Another economic boom occurs, starting in the US. In conjunction with growing market optimism, the Klu Klux Klan greatly grows in power in reaction to rapidly expanding civil rights under the progressive government. Antiquarian Nationalist elements become increasingly prevalent in the Klan. 1928 * In the United States, Al Smith secures the Progressive nomination after a bitter nomination process that reveals the split in the Progressive Party between moderates and radicals. Smith goes on to easily win the 1928 election. * In the US, Huey Long is first elected as Governor of Louisiana, starting the famous "Share the Wealth" movement. During the election, he meets a charismatic preacher named Gerald L.K Smith, and the two become extremely influential in southern politics. * Despite the British military coup, the war in Scotland continues to drag on, draining valuable resources. A lack of manpower is a serious crisis, with many men deserting. The military government withdraws south of the border. John MacLean, Chairman of the Workers’ Republic of Scotland and former schoolteacher, declares national Victory of the Worker Day in response to troop withdrawal. Britain continues to lay claim to Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, Scotland and Southern Rhodesia but is in not practical position to press any of these claims 1929 * On May 30, 1929, the New York stock exchange crashes, causing a catastrophic loss of value in the stock exchange. Economic pessimism spreads throughout the nation, and bank runs further destabilize the American economy. This causes the American Economy to slide into a recession. * Congress attempts to pass a series of protectionist tariff laws, all of which fail to pass due to the progressive makeup of congress. Government deadlock allows market gains to build up without protectionist laws, permitting the stock market to rebound and gain back some lost value.The Federal Reserve, bound by laws created a decade earlier, cannot restrict the abundance of money, thus allowing the economy to heal to an extent. Due to this, the recession of 1929 stays as a recession; it does not become a depression. * Nevertheless, the American 1929 recession spreads throughout most of the world, subjecting the world to a recession that would only prove to be the beginning of greater problems. 1930 * The Great South American War ends, leaving over 2 million dead, and devastating the economies of South America. 1931 * After months of economic decline following the 1929 recession, the Berlin Stock Market finally crashes. The effects of this crash are felt in nearly every nation throughout the world, as the global recession worsens into a severe depression. * Following the worsening economic conditions in Germany, the SKPD organizes a general strike, and demands immediate action to remedy the pains of depression on the poor of Germany. The strike escalates quickly, and the Imperial Government arrests all of the major figures in the SKPD, except for Rosa Luxemburg, who goes into hiding immediately. The strike eventually gets crushed, and is known as the "First Spartacist Revolt" in Germany. To avoid further public backlash, however, the SKPD is not banned outright. * A Klansmen unsuccessfully attempts to assassinate US President Smith due to his Irish heritage and catholic faith; the FBI takes note of the dangerously high proliferation of armed Klansmen militias in the south. * The Berlin Market destroys the Flemish-Walloon economy, resulting in strikes across the nation and the eventual abdication of King Adalbert I, being replaced by a provisional government proclaiming the second Belgian revolution, and the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Belgium. In the following week the Treaty of Luxembourg is signed, recognizing the sovereignty of the state and pulling German assets out of the nation, at the price of Belgium making prince Leopold king over his father, and Belgium renaming in the German Alliance. * In Italy, things grow dire as the collapsing German economy bankrupts the economy of Italy. Facing a wave of anti-monarchic sentiment, a communist coup overthrows the monarchy and proclaims a Socialist Italian Republic. In response, Marco Fassa and the Roma Invicta party march on Rome and massacre the socialist leaders, installing a new Italian Government with Fassa at its core. Fassa proclaims a new Roman Republic in Italy. 1932 * The US 1932 election is easily won by a combination ticket between Conservative Republicans and Democrats, and Albert Ritchie gets elected as the next US President. In addition to this, a large number of conservatives and socialists get elected to the US Congress. 1933 * The new American Government passes an array of protectionist laws and tariffs, which set off many trade wars throughout the globe, further worsening the state of the world economy. * In the US, conservative republicans fail to agree to raise the US debt ceiling, which forces President Ritchie to default on a sizable portion of the US National Debt. This throws the US economy into a shock, as investments are wiped out overnight, mass selling of the US dollar leads to severe inflation, and demand plummets. The US economy goes from suffering from a severe recession to falling into an extreme economic depression, as unemployment rose to levels nearing 40%. This depression sets off even more ripples and crashes in the economies across the world. * In Germany, fears of growing socialist power in the Reichstag culminate in a plan to dissolve the Reichstag. After fierce debate and widespread arguments, the plan is ultimately defeated. * Facing immense pressure and comfortable public support, Juan Quirós Segura coupes the Costa Rican Government and establishes his own Government, with himself as its dictator. * JFC Fuller, highly influenced by Italian Antiquarian Nationalism, succeeds Kitchener as ruler of Britain. Fuller adopts Antiquarian Nationalism in the British Government, and spearheads a Government-sponsored National movement to revive ethnic Anglo-Saxon culture and "purify" the English race through comprehensive reeducation and instilling Anglo-Saxon values in all Brits. 1934 * After nearly two and a half years of fighting, the civil war in El Salvador ends, as the socialists stand triumphant. El Salvador begins a new era as a socialist state in Central America. 1935 * Germany dissolves the Prussian throne and replaces it with a unified “German Throne” to qualm separatism and show unity. While it is a mostly symbolic change, and Prussia still dominates the imperial affairs, it is worth noting this is the first time since 1871 that the constitution has been changed. * Socialist and far-left liberals organize and successfully carry out a Second Spartacist Revolt, which is more organized and threatening than the first. The Reichstag is temporarily suspended, and the police resort to brutal measures to quell the revolt. Many German landmarks and symbols become targets for destruction by radicals, and the economy is thrown into disarray for the duration of the revolt. The revolt eventually gets put down, but its effects are still felt in the beginning of 1936. * In late 1935, former Secretary of the Navy and incumbent Governor of New York Franklin Delano Roosevelt announces his ambitions to run for President in the 1936 election under the Progressive Republican Party.